Operation: Revival - Book 3: Cursed Legacy
by Jimmy the Tulip
Summary: The final installment: The real enemy has been revealed. As the Doctor faces one of the greatest challenges of his life, so too does Vlad Ward of Clan Wolf. Either choice will irrevocably change Clan Wolf forever; he must either betray his people or his mentor. The Doctor's final battle is drawing near and with it rests the fate of the universe...


_**Wolf Compound WC-217-Epsilon  
Olympia  
Thurston County  
Washington  
North America  
27th March, 3052**_

Ulric Kerensky stood in the reception area of the Nisqually Facility with his hands outstretched. The power of Fenric flowed through him and out of his hands, raising Vlad Ward two feet off the ground. The pressure on Vlad's body was so intense that he couldn't draw in a breath.

With a roar of rage Ulric threw his hands to the right, releasing the power and simultaneously sending Vlad flying against a wall to land in a crumpled heap. Vlad laboured to draw air into his lungs and he slowly struggled to his feet. Terror controlled his expression as he looked upon the man that used to be his Khan. Vlad did not know who this man standing before him was but he was certainly not Ulric Kerensky any longer.

"We will find him, my…my Khan, on my word as a warrior of the Wolves."

Ulric sneered at his words. "A warrior of the Wolves? You are no Wolf of mine; you lost that right when you lost the Doctor. If you ever hope to be a Wolf again, make sure you do find him. If you do not then do not come back."

Vlad bowed his head as he walked out of the building. Last night had been a disaster. As soon as the ComStar forces had been detected the alarm sounded and Vlad had immediately run for his _Red Wolf_ ProtoMech. He should have known it was a diversion, he should have kept more forces at the facility. Instead he had flown in to battle with nothing but glory on his mind. That one act had lost him the Doctor, half his command and now his status as warrior.

 _What has happened to you, Ulric? What have you become?_

That thought kept circling round and around through Vlad's mind. Vlad knew that Ulric had changed but he had no idea of what he was becoming. The man that Vlad used to look up to as a shining example of what it was to be Clan was gone and Vlad was struggling to understand what that meant for Clan Wolf as a whole.

Clan Wolf was the most prestigious of the Clans; chosen as the Clan of the Founder himself. Vlad would not allow the name of his Clan to be sullied. He would find the Doctor and return him to Ulric Kerensky, then he would find a way to restore his Khan to the man that he once knew. The sudden clarity of his vision made Vlad pause for a moment and wonder if he was part Nova Cat but he quickly laughed the thought off.

His path was set so Vlad straightened his shoulders resolutely and trotted to the bay where his ProtoMech was waiting.

Ulric would be angry that Vlad had taken the _Red Wolf_ but it was his best chance to locate the rebels and bring the Doctor back. Despite all that had happened Vlad smiled. He was about to single-handedly save Clan Wolf.

 _ **ComGuard Mt Hood Cache  
Cascade Mountains  
Washington  
North America  
27th March, 3052**_

They had travelled in the APC for about three hours before rendezvousing with a Ripper transport VTOL which carried them to a hidden ComGuard facility at Mount Hood. Upon their arrival they were bustled into a small conference room where ComGuard senior staff awaited them.

The ROM agent, Mark, whom Justin had met at Barney's motel, greeted them as they entered the room, shaking Justin's hand then introducing himself to the Doctor.

"I'm sorry that you haven't had any time to rest but if what Justin has told us about you is true then we can't afford to wait."

The Doctor nodded his understanding. "It's quite alright, Mark. I'll help any way that I can."

Mark ushered them to a pair of empty seats and offered them hot drinks. As soon as they were seated and served the briefing began. A senior officer stood and unfolded a sheet of paper, his pinch-faced and angry countenance quickly silenced all others present.

"This message has been sent directly by the hand of the Precentor Martial. He has arrived on New Avalon and is currently in discussions with Prince Davion to purchase rights to the TransMat technology that is currently in Federated Suns possession.

With this technology at our disposal ComStar could launch an assault on Terra before the year's end, aided by infiltrators sent here via TransMat."

The officer looked at the Doctor then. "This breakthrough would not have been possible without the aid of the Doctor, we have been told. For that we are heavily in your debt, Doctor."

"Well, your timeline's already been corrupted," the Doctor added, "what's a little TransMat tech to balance it all out, eh?"

The speaker smiled then continued. "Quite so. We are, as of this moment, at high alert. Clan Wolf will not let the rescue of the Doctor go unpunished. They will have already sent out search parties and will be conducting interrogations of all their security staff now that they know there was inside assistance. Our proximity here to the Clan Wolf facility is too risky, therefore Command has ordered that we pull back to a secondary site approximately 300 kilometers south of here."

A buzz went around the table at that news and another office interjected.

"With the Wolves stirred up moving all the equipment here will cause a mighty big blip on their radar. We might as well put up a big, glowing sign outside."

"I understand your concern, Precentor Parker, but we have our orders. We will spend the next forty eight hours preparing and checking on Wolf movements. If it is clear at that time we will move out."  
Justin raised his hand to speak and the ComStar officer nodded his permission to continue.

"I understand the protection that the ComGuard force here could provide but perhaps stealth might be a better defence. If we left early with a small force before the Wolf searches spread too wide we'd stand a much better chance of ensuring the Doctor's safety."

The ComStar officer pondered Justin's suggestion. "You may have a point, Mister Allard. You have a significant amount of field experience too. If you would be prepared to lead the force I can provide a few good people to serve as security."

Justin smiled and nodded. "I'd be happy to help out in any capacity, Precentor…?"

"Blane. William Blane."

 _ **53 kilometers east of Detroit Lake  
Cascade Mountains  
Washington  
North America  
30th March, 3052**_

Vlad was exhausted.

He had been sleeping only when sleep threatened to overtake him in the command couch of his _Red Wolf_. In the last three days he had accumulated no more than seven hours of sleep in total.

To Vlad even that was too much.

He knew he was close to his prey. He had almost walked right into the ComGuard column heading south a day and a half ago. He had been dozing in the cockpit of his small war machine instead of paying attention to his sensors.

The ComGuard force was far too big for him to consider taking on with his lone ProtoMech so he had quickly turned around and moved out of any scout forces sensor range.

Something had told Vlad, though, that his prey was not amongst these ComGuard forces. They weren't alert enough to be escorting such an important cargo as the Doctor, nor would he be allowed to remain behind. He was just too important. That left only one solution.

The Doctor was ahead of the column.

Vlad had raced onwards through the trees and over foothills in his search. He was relentless and it had finally paid off. There, at the very edge of his sensor range, was a lone blip. There was the Doctor.

A wave of adrenaline brought him back to full alertness as he raced the _Red Wolf_ forwards and to the east of the radar blip, always keeping it on the edge of his scope. He knew that no Inner Sphere machine could match the range of his sensors so felt quite safe from detection as he skirted around his prey until he was ahead of them, directly along their path of traverse.

When he was certain he had achieved a perfect position Vlad powered down his machines fusion engine to minimal levels and switched his sensors over to passive mode. Then he waited.

* * * *

The wheeled APC struggled getting through and across the rough terrain around the Cascade ranges. It had been slower going than Justin had feared it would and he knew that if they were caught in this terrain they were done for.

Several times he had considered abandoning the vehicle but its armour and turret mounted machine guns convinced him that the protection was worth the delays. Still he hated the thought of being cooped up in this rat trap should they stumble across hostiles.

The Doctor however seemed completely unconcerned by their lack of speed. He spent his time either sleeping (at least, he appeared to be sleeping) or scribbling notes and drawings on a small paper notebook.

Justin had, once, tried to get a glimpse of what the Doctor was scribbling but he had quickly snapped the notebook shut with a stern look in Justin's direction.

"Someone once warned me against spoilers. I tend to agree with them."

Justin, chastised, had sat back down with a grumble.

"Sir," it was the Driver, "we're not too far from Detroit Lake. Should we detour off that way to replenish our water supplies?"

"No, keep moving. We've got enough to last us another…" Justin was suddenly cut off by the wailing of an alarm.

"Contact! We have a contact at ten o'clock moving in fast. It's a hostile, Sir, war book confirms a _Red Wolf_ ProtoMech. Looks to be alone."

"Damn it!" Justin cursed. "Stop the carrier! Everybody out and into cover!" thenslightly quieter, "Doctor, you stay with me."

The APC lurched to a halt and the large infantry bay door at the rear began its descent. Before it had touched the ground the small infantry squad was disembarking along with Justin who was closely followed by his charge.

Finding a place that would give sufficient cover from a ProtoMech was going to be more than difficult in this wooded terrain so Justin simply found the densest clump of foliage he could and he and the Doctor crouched down in it.

About twenty seconds later the ProtoMech strode into sight ten meters in front of the APC. A single burst from its arm mounted energy weapon sloughed armour from the front of the vehicle and ate into the front wheels, ensuring that the APC would be going nowhere.

The click of external speakers coming to life sounded through the woods. "I am Vlad Ward, lately of the Clan Wolf. You will give me the Doctor or be destroyed."

A few meters away a ComGuard soldier stepped out from behind a large tree with a man-portable SRM launcher swinging up to his shoulder. The _Red Wolf_ swung and discharged its weapon once again just as a tongue of flame ejected from the back of the launcher. There was a huge explosion as the beam of energy exploded the missile in its tube, followed by a groan of wood and a crash as the tree fell to the ground. Of the soldier there was no trace.

"This is your last warning. I will kill every one of you if I have to but I WILL be taking the Doctor back to present him to my Khan."

Before Justin even realized what he was doing the Doctor stood up and stepped out of the foliage he was hiding in.

"Your Khan, Vlad Ward? You can take me but it will not be back to your Khan. Your Khan is dead."

Vlad laughed. "You lie, Doctor. Ulric Kerensky lives."

The Doctors voice lowered but, somehow, everyone could hear every word as clearly as if he were standing beside them.

"The man you know as Ulric Kerensky is gone, Vlad. All that is left of him is the body that now serves as the host for Fenric. You know this, don't you? You've seen it."

There was a brief few seconds of silence then the whir of actuators as the weapon arm of the _Red Wolf_ moved, pointing directly at the Doctor.

Inside his cockpit tears were streaming down Vlad's face. _Ulric was right, I am no Wolf. Wolves do not shed tears! What has happened to you, Ulric?_ His mind echoed with the Doctor's words. _Host for Fenric._

What did that even mean, Vlad did not know. The Doctor was trying to trick him, to confuse him, but he would not be fooled.

An image passed through his mind then, the image of Ulric standing in the ruined reception area, his eyes ablaze with evil and his fingers ablaze with energy, energy that reached out to Vlad and that could easily have killed him there and then. _What has happened to you, Ulric?_

On his heads-up-display the targeting reticule hovered over the form of the Doctor, pulsing the gold of a target lock. Vlad's finger was tense on the trigger. He could end this all now. He could strike the Doctor down with a lance of energy from the hand of his machine, just like…

 _Ulric._

There was a sudden clarity in his mind. Him, Vlad Ward, sitting inside his machine, controlling it just as there was something, this Fenric that the Doctor spoke of, sitting inside Ulric and controlling him. Vlad realized then what had to be done.

The Doctor stared into the dark muzzle of the weapon waiting for the blast that would never come. With a whine of actuators the _Red Wolf's_ arm lowered.

"Can you help him, Doctor?" came Vlad's voice from the speakers. "Can you bring Ulric back?"

The Doctor stared up at the war machine with sadness and pity in his eyes. "No, I'm sorry, Vlad. I can't bring Ulric back but we can save the honour of Clan Wolf, if you will help me?"

There was another pause as Vlad thought about what the Doctor had said.

"If the man cannot be saved, if all that is left is his name and his memory….then that is what we must save."

 _ **53 kilometers east of Detroit Lake  
Cascade Mountains  
Washington  
North America  
1st April, 3052**_

"Is this some kind of joke, Doctor?"

"You're no April Fool, Precentor Blane." the Doctor replied. "You know this is the only way to resolve this."

Blane lowered his head, he hated what was coming next. "So we have to work with the Wolves."

The ComGuard column had stumbled across the wreckage of the APC and the motionless _Red Wolf_ barely an hour ago. The Doctor had wasted no time in explaining the situation to Precentor Blane and the other senior officers of the column.

"I have guaranteed his safety if he agrees to work with us. This is the only way we can get to Fenric. If you don't work together you won't stand a chance."

"But an assault on Unity City? We won't even get close before the Clans set upon us. It's suicide."

The Doctor shook his head. "Not if Vlad can muster the Wolves. If they get into Unity City first they can strike at the other Clans while we advance from outside the city."

Blane rubbed his head with his hands. "That's an awful lot of ifs there, Doctor."

The Doctor smiled disarmingly. "The universe was built on ifs, Precentor!" He slapped Blane on the shoulder. "I knew you'd come around!"

"Wait, I…"

"No time for that now." The Doctor interrupted. "We've got preparations to make. Now, Vlad is going to head back to Olympia and try to gather as many of the Wolves to his cause as he can. Word is that Ulric headed back to Unity City three days ago so we have to start marching now if we hope to co-ordinate with Vlad's Wolves. Also, I'm going to need something from you."

"Oh, yes, Doctor? And what exactly would that be?"

The Doctor smiled his most charming smile. "I need a BattleMech."

 _ **Wolf Compound WC-217-Epsilon  
Olympia  
Thurston County  
Washington  
North America  
4th April, 3052**_

Star Colonel Darren Fetladral stared at Vlad with a dumb-founded look. "What you propose is treason!"

"What I propose," Vlad countered with a snarl, "is the survival of Clan Wolf! You have seen what Ulric has become. Whatever he is now he is not even human, let alone Clan."

Darren shook his head, struggling to comprehend what Vlad was saying. "You speak of aliens like we live in some cheap holo-vid science fiction world and you expect me to not only believe you but follow you into battle against our Khan? You have lost your mind, Vlad Ward."

"Darren, look at me. You know me, we were raised in the same sibko. We have fought against and beside each other. You have seen Ulric, you know what I say to be true."

Confusion was plain on the Star Colonels face. "I will admit that Ulric is… has changed…"

"Changed?" Vlad said in exasperation. "Ulric is gone. What we see walking around is nothing more than puppet controlled by this thing that lives within him. Explain this energy that Ulric can wield?"

Darren shook his head. "I cannot. You are right, it is not natural. But an alien? Even if I did believe you how would we convince all the others?"

Vlad smiled. "We do not need all the others, only some. Two stars from your units, two stars from mine. That is all the force we need." Vlad knew that he next statement was the deal breaker. "The ComGuard will do the rest."

Darren flinched away from Vlad then. "You filthy dezgra traitor." Darren spat at Vlads feet. "You will leave this place now before I kill you with my bare hands. You are no better than a Dark Caste."

So it had come to this. Vlad suspected it would but had quietly hoped that he could convince Darren Fetladral of the truth. There was only one course of action left.

"Then I challenge you, Star Colonel Darren Fetladral, to a Trial of Grievance. If you win I will leave Terra and you will never see me again. If I defeat you, you will follow me to Unity City."

The Star Colonel smiled. "Bargained well and done. We will fight unaugmented."

Vlad nodded sharply. "Our combat ground shall be outside the main building. One hour from now.

"Aff." _The site of your previous defeat; where you allowed the Doctor to escape. You hope to erase the stain of that dishonor._

Vlad turned and walked away to prepare for their Trial. As he moved away Darren Fetladral's head followed him and the smile slipped away from his face.

"I pray that you are wrong, Vlad Ward." He said to himself under his breath. "For if you are right this could spell the death of Clan Wolf."

* * * *

The clansmen of the Wolves had gathered around outside the building forming a circle roughly six meters wide in which the two men stood. Vlad knew Star Colonel Fetladral well, knew his tactics and his preferences in combat. He expected Darren to come at him quickly hoping for a swift victory without drawing the fight on. Vlad was not disappointed.

Darren flew towards Vlad's head with a leaping round-house back kick, looking for a one hit knock out. Vlad's instinct and reflexes immediately kicked in and he ducked under the kick but felt the Star Colonels leg brush his hair.

From his crouched position Vlad swept his legs around, taking out Darrens legs as he came down and knocking them out from under him. Darren had expected Vlad's riposte, however, and went into a roll avoiding most of the impact. There was still an audible grunt as he went down.

Vlad was on in feet in a second and stepped in to Darren as he was gaining his feet. A quick right hook to the side of Darrens head laid the Star Colonel out on the ground. Vlad place one boot on his mid-back and grabbed his hair in one hand pulling his opponents head back painfully.

"Do you yield, Star Colonel?" Vlad asked. He had barely even broken a sweat.

"Argh! Aff!" yelled Fetladral, then quieter added, "I yield."

Vlad smiled to himself. "I am sorry, Star Colonel. I did not hear you?"

The anger in Darren's voice was apparent as he yelled back. "I yield!"

Vlad let go of Darrens hair, dropping his face to the ground, and stepped off his back. "In accordance with the outcome of this Trial, my cause is just and you will accompany me, along with two Stars of warriors to Unity City. We will leave immediately. I shall meet you at the ProtoMech bay, quiaff?"

Star Colonel Darren Fetladral got to his feet, calmer now and accepting of his fate. "Aff, Vlad Ward. I will gather my warriors."

 _ **30 kilometers from Unity City  
North America  
Terra  
6th April, 3052**_

Senior Technician Elijah Peters was leaning into the cavernous chest of the 60 ton _Lancelot_ BattleMech, only extricating himself when the Doctor, who was leaning inside beside him, asked if he had a particular tool handy. The _Lancelot_ was a rare BattleMech even by ComGuard standards. Elijah was often heard to comment that what the Doctor was doing to this irreplaceable piece of machinery was tantamount to blasphemy.

"Are you sure this is going to work, Doctor?" Elijah asked for the third time.

"Absolutely. Mostly. Well, I'm fairly sure. Of course doing these modifications will dramatically reduce the range of the Particle Projection Canon. It was never designed to do this sort of thing."

The pair tinkered inside the Mech for a further half hour before they climbed down the machine and joined Justin and Blane at the foot of the _Lancelot_.

The Doctor beamed at the two men. "So Justin, what do you think of your new BattleMech?"

"What kind of a death trap plan do you have for me this time, Doctor?" Justin responded with a wry smile.

"Well," the Doctor started, missing the reference to their earlier adventure completely, "the first time I encountered Fenric I defeated him and trapped him inside a lead flask. He couldn't escape of his own accord but my mistake was not accounting for outside interference. This time I do believe I've covered all my bases. Elijah and I have inverted the projection unit on the Mechs main weapon. I've invented a Particle Induction Cannon!" The Doctor seemed quite pleased with himself until he noticed the blank looks on Justin and Blane's faces and deflated a little, then continued..

"Right. You see the fusion engine of a Mech is basically like a big lead-lined flask. The PPC draws energy out of the engine and projects that as charged particles that cause kinetic, thermal and electrical damage to its target. By inverting the projection unit I've created a Particle Induction weapon, think of it like a particle vacuum cleaner. It will suck energy particles into the weapon, feeding them through to power couplings to the fusion engine. The constant reaction and the lead lining of the engine will serve to contain the energy for the life of the engine."

"You can do that?" Blane asked, stunned.

"Of course, I can." The Doctor replied, sounding slightly offended. "I'm the Doctor."

Justin smirked to himself briefly. "You said for the life of the engine, Doctor. What happens after that? Does Fenric escape again?"

"No, no, no. I don't like loose ends. I'll find somewhere nice and safe to deposit him."

Justin shook his in wonderment. "Is there anywhere safe from a thing like Fenric? He's done so much damage."

"I know, Justin. He is not a part of this universe and was never meant to be here. I'm truly sorry for the things that he has done, I never meant for any of this to happen. I will be taking _Fenric's Flask_ with me when I leave."

Blane frowned suspiciously. "What do you mean, you never meant for any of this to happen?"

The Doctor cast his gaze to the ground. "It's my fault that he's here. I was the one that cast him into the dimensional rift." His voice dropped almost to a whisper. "I never thought it would lead him here."

Blane's rising anger was showing in his face. "This is your fault? You brought this all down on us? We will incarcerate _Fenric's Flask_ when we've finished this Doctor because you won't be going anywhere. You will stand trial for crimes against humanity and I intend to see that you pay dearly for those crimes!" Blane turned on his heel and stalked away before anything more could be said.

Justin looked at the Doctor with an expression torn between sympathy and hatred. Without a word he too turned and walked away. Elijah clapped the Doctor on the shoulder.

"You really know how to make an impression." Then he climbed back up to continue his work leaving the Doctor alone with his thoughts and his guilt.

 _ **Jade Falcon Sector  
Unity City  
North America  
Terra  
6th April, 3052**_

The battle had been raging for only thirty minutes but the carnage was already of significant proportions. Star Colonel Marthe Pryde piloted her _Summoner_ OmniMech down one of the many main streets in the Jade Falcon district, leading her star in search of the ComGuard forces that had assault the city.

Marthe piloted one of only two OmniMechs in her star, the other three positions were made up with _Roc_ ProtoMechs refitted with the new energy weapons. Marthe herself hated the new ProtoMechs. They certainly more economical to produce but they did not befit the status of a trueborn Clan warrior in her opinion.

Still, the _Rocs_ had acquitted themselves well taking down a ComGuard _Flashman_ and _Hunchback_ that were threatening to circle into the rear of her star. Now, the battle was starting to move away from her position towards the League central district so Marthe was leading her warriors in pursuit.

"All points, form up on me. We must regroup with the rest of the Jaegers." Marthe commanded into her mic.

Four affirmative replies were immediately received so Marthe wasted no time in moving off down the street, eager to get into the heat of the battle once again. The ComGuard force measured almost two companies of Mechs with a smattering of support vehicles. Most of the conventional armour was lying behind them in smoking ruin but they had done their job and bought precious time for the ComStar Mechs to break through the Falcon lines and push into the city center.

She listen carefully to the radio chatter and quickly learned that Elias Chrichell, her Khan, had engaged an assault lance of ComStar Mechs. Elias, like Marthe, was not enamoured with the ProtoMechs, choosing instead to pilot his own _Summoner_ OmniMech. However, he also insisted that the warriors of his command star pilot Mechs so, given that no OmniMechs had been converted to carry the new weapons, he did not have the knockout punch that other stars had. That and the fact that his star had already seen some savage combat put him on a perilously even footing with the lance he now faced.

"Alpha star, get to the Khan to relieve his position. Make best speed!"

The ProtoMechs leapt forward on their jump jets quickly out distancing her _Summoner_ and the _Hellbringer_ of Star Captain Nori.

"Nori, advance with me. The _Rocs_ can negotiate these streets easier due to their…Hold! I have a contact. Are you seeing this?"

Nori responded in her typical less is more manner. "Aff, Star Colonel."

Marthe turned her _Summoner_ to face the star of contacts approaching from her six. The _Summoner's_ computer tagged them as _Red Wolf_ ProtoMechs, a design unique to Clan Wolf. She opened a broadband channel.

"Clan Wolf star, this is Star Colonel Marthe Pryde of the second Falcon Jaegars. Identify yourselves."

The radio crackled briefly before the reply came back. "I am Star Colonel Vlad Ward. You will let us pass."

Marthe frowned in confusion, something was not right here. "To which unit do you belong, Star Colonel Ward?"

"I command the 1st Terran Striker Cluster."

Now Marthe was convinced that this Star Colonel was lying. "There is no such unit. You will stand down and remove yourselves from the Jade Falcon sector."

Vlad sighed. "I cannot do that Marthe Pryde. I must get to the League district and you are in my way. Let me pass, I do not wish to kill you nor your star mate."

Marthe's anger flared. "Arrogant Wolf!" she yelled as she crushed the trigger on her Mechs right joystick.

Vlad was caught off guard for a second as a hail of depleted uranium rounds spewed out of the autocannon on the _Summoner's_ left arm. The deadly shells caught his small ProtoMech on the right arm, ripping it away from the shoulder.

Vlad fought against gravity at the sudden change to his machines balance. He won but only barely, his Proto stumbling slightly to the right. His four star mates immediately leapt forward, swarming towards to the pair of Falcon Mechs.

"Go Star Colonel," came the voice of his second in command, a young Star Commander named Franz. "We can hold these Falcons."

Suddenly faced with a pair of ProtoMechs each the Falcon warriors attention had shifted away from him. Vlad hated to run from a fight but knew that it was more important that he get to Ulric before Justin in his _Lancelot_ did.

"Aff", was all he said as he raced his _Red Wolf_ down the street towards the centre of Unity City and the Great Repository where, somehow, he knew that Ulric would be.

 _ **Star League Sector  
Unity City  
North America  
Terra  
6th April, 3052**_

Star Colonel Darren Fetladral led his star in a mad dance between the Mechs feet. He had entered Unity City through the Wolf Sector so had made swift and unchallenged progress through to the central sector. ComGuard forces were filtering in from the Falcon sector but had obviously met some fierce resistance on their march. Torn armour and missing limbs were evident on nearly every machine. Some were barely clinging to life.

Darren was glad to have entered the battle where a large contingent of Jade Falcon forces had amassed. He wasn't sure that he could bring himself to fire on other Wolf warriors, despite what he had promised Vlad.

Less than one kilometer away the Great Repository rose into the sky but looking upon it this time did not fill him with the usual feelings of awe and pride. Darren knew what resided within the bowels of the pyramid. He knew that the pyramid only represented a victory that was given to the Clans by the alien the they called their Guardian of Legacies. He had believed that much, at least, when Vlad told him. What other explanation was there to explain the thing?

Darren's star immediately began firing on Falcon machines, catching them completely by surprise and dropping several before the Falcons even knew what was happening. Once their attention was drawn the ComGuard Mechs got a slight reprieve and were able to regroup into effective defensive formations. They then laid down covering fire for their newly arrived allies.

Not far off Darren noticed a lance of assault Mechs brawling with what remained of a star of Jade Falcon OmniMechs. Amongst the Falcon machines he recognized the _Summoner_ belonging to Khan Elias Chrichell.

"Precentor Blane, bring down that _Summoner_ and you bring down the Jade Falcon Khan."

"Roger, Star Colonel." came Blane's reply even as he walked his _King Crab_ forward towards the ongoing fight.

Darren's attention was drawn to a ProtoMech that suddenly entered the fray from the Falcon sector. It was battered and missing its right arm but he could still recognize the markings on it. "Nice of you to join the fight, Vlad, though with no weapon I do not know what good you hope to do."

"Cut me a path through this mess, Star Colonel. I need to get to Khan Kerensky's position."

Darren addressed his star then. "You heard the Star Colonel. We will get to the Great Repository or die trying! Wolves, form up on me!"

* * * *

Marthe Pryde limped her _Summoner_ towards the battle. _Those filthy ProtoMechs may have slowed me down but they will not keep me from my Khan._

Nori's _Hellbringer_ had gone down with a gaping hole in the cockpit. It was a wound that Marthe knew Nori would not get up from. Still, to Nori's credit she had taken down two of the ProtoMechs on your own and assisted with a third kill. It was the last one that had hobbled her with a shot to the _Summoner's_ left knee. It was the pilots last shot. Her follow up blast with the autocannon had blown the legs off the _Red Wolf_ and Marthe had finished it off with a foot to the torso.

The trek to catch up to the main battle was aggravatingly slow but as she rounded a corner she saw the melee up ahead. As she drew closer Marthe saw her Khans _Summoner_ in a duel with a ComGuard _King Crab_. Her Khans Mech was wreathed in smoke and its armour was all but stripped from its torso.

Her field of vision went into slow motion as she saw the _King Crab's_ arms rise. Flame burst from the barrels of the Deathgiver autocannon housed in each arm. One blast took the _Summoner_ in the left arm, leaving nothing but a sparking stump behind. The second ate its way up the Clan machines center torso to its head.

"NOOOOOO!" Marthe cried out as the cockpit of Elias _Summoner_ disappeared in a blast of shrapnel and debris then, like a puppet with its strings cut, the machine dropped lifeless to the ground.

Rage blurred Marthe's vision as she lowered her targeting reticule over the _King Crab's_ squat form. She smashed the triggers down on both joysticks unleashing a torrent of firepower at the ComGuard Mechs back. Her extended range PPC punched a hole into the _King Crabs[i] vulnerable rear torso and carried on into the vital heart of the assault Mech. A stream of shells from her own autocannon unerringly joined the carnage, blasting pieces of the Mechs insides out through its chest._

 _The massive war machine shuddered once, stiffened then dropped heavily onto its face and lay motionless._

 _Marthe stalked forwards flaying the occasional Mech with her PPC and braces of short range missiles as she moved to stand beside the shattered OmniMech of her fallen Khan. There she remained; protecting the carcass of the Summoner like it might save Elias's life. She saw a lance of ComGuard Mechs leaving the area towards the Great Repository. It was a lance of heavies that included a [i]Lancelot_.

Marthe turned away from them. _Let them go. They will taste death at another Falcons hands today._

 _ **The Great Repository  
Unity City  
North America  
Terra  
6th April, 3052**_

It was not far from the battle but the silence at the Great Repository was eerie.

Vlad entered the square with two other Wolf ProtoMechs following closely. Star Colonel Fetladral's own _Red Wolf_ had fallen a couple of streets back but he had urged Vlad to keep going, so he did.

A solitary figure stood a few meters from the entrance to the pyramid, beside him stood a strange blue box that Vlad did not recognize. Through the magnified vision of his ProtoMechs display he could see Ulric smile as Vlad's machine drew into sight.

Vlad activated his external mic and speakers. "Khan Kerensky. I have come to help you."

Ulric threw his head back and laughed. "Help me, Vlad Ward? Why do you think I would need help?"

Vlad's confusion seeped into his voice. "You are not well, my Khan, but I have brought Wolf warriors. I can help you, the Doctor can help you."

"Ah, my poor young Wolf. You have no comprehension of what it is you face. I do not need your help and the Doctor wishes only to destroy me. All you have done is created a division within the Wolves, a division that will weaken them. So weakened the Jade Falcons, Smoke Jaguars and Ghost Bears will strike at you weakening themselves and the Wolves even further. Then the way will be open for the Daleks to either take full control or wipe you out completely."

With those words the door of the repository opened and a dozen red Daleks swept out of the building. They were closely followed by the Blue Dalek. The two Wolf warriors behind Vlad stepped forward into defensive positions.

Vlad felt his hopes sink. "These abominations should not even be here, Ulric. We can destroy them now and return things to how they should be."

The grating voice of the blue Dalek assaulted Vlad's comm. unit. "More Daleks will follow. We will be victorious and all of humanity will be enslaved. The Empire of the Daleks will come to pass."

The look on Ulric's face told Vlad that he was far beyond being reasoned with. "So this is where it ends?"

A fourth voice joined the conversation then. "On the contrary, Vlad, this is simply where things get put right."

"Doctor?" Vlad checked his sensors and saw a lance of BattleMechs, all in ComStar colours, enter the area. A rare dual-seat _Battlemaster_ lead the small force in and was followed by a _Stalker_ , a _Lancelot_ and a _Rifleman_.

"Impeccable timing as always, Doctor!" Ulric stated. "You can now witness the rise of the Daleks to their place of supremacy."

"I've defeated the Daleks before, Fenric, I can defeat them again." The Doctor snarled.

Ulric smiled triumphantly. "Not this time, Doctor. Not while I protect them!"

With those words the Daleks shot forward and started firing at the assembled human forces. One of the ProtoMechs guarding Vlad went down almost immediately. The remaining Mechs scattered and opened fire at the small alien machines. The _Lancelot_ scored a direct hit with one of its large lasers but the Dalek was unaffected. Instead a blue haze surrounded the alien dissipating the lasers energy.

"They're shielded from our weapons somehow, Doctor!" Justin called across the comm. Desperation gave his voice an edge of panic.

"It's Fenric, Ulric. He's shielding them somehow." The Doctor responded.

One of the Daleks strayed close to Vlad's one armed ProtoMech, not seeing it as an Immediate threat with its only weapon gone. The _Red Wolf_ reached out as the Dalek sped by and grabbed it with the Mechs left hand. With a yell of pure anger Vlad threw the Dalek through the air to smash against the wall of the Repository. The alien machine exploded in a ball of flame.

"It does not mean they are indestructible." Vlad stated, his voice calm in comparison to Justin's.

Vlad turned and looked once more at Ulric, noticing a flash of doubt cross his Khans face for a brief moment. Then a Dalek was upon him and he felt his _Red Wolf_ lean sharply to the left as a shot from the Daleks gun slammed into its left knee. The ProtoMech stumbled falling to its knees and single hand. The Dalek stopped directly in front of him and elevated its gun stick to fire directly at the cockpit.

A sudden shadow fell across his vision and a massive metal foot swung out, smashing into the Dalek and send it spinning away in pieces. The world seemed to pause for a moment as the strange, amorphous creature within the Daleks shell was exposed. It's true alien form revealed for the first time. It was that moment that Vlad finally understood the truth. There was no saving Ulric, he was as alien now as these Daleks swarming about them.

"Allard!" he called over the comm. unit. "Use it! Take out Ulric now!"

"No!" came the Doctors voice shocking them both. "Not yet, Fenric is still inside his host. As long as he remains in Ulric's body the weapon will not work. He has to be brought out."

Vlad slammed his fist down on his console in frustration. "How?"

The Doctors voice came back quickly but slightly lower. "Ulric has to die."

The man that was Ulric Kerensky stood looking at the battle and, for the first time in this long campaign, he began to have doubt. He could protect these Daleks from the weapons of the BattleMechs but he could not save them from the raw physical assault of these giant machines. Five of the Daleks were destroyed and even as that thought crossed his mind two more meet their fates as first one was thrown then another stepped on by the ComStar Mechs.

Then he saw the Lancelot advancing towards his position and the little piece of the man that remained fear cold fear as the mighty war machine drew closer.

"Vlad!" Ulric called out to his protégé in desperation. "Vlad, I am your Khan! Help me!"

He saw Vlad's ProtoMech rise to its feet and a wave of relief washed over him. A blue blur flew past him at that moment as the blue Dalek rushed out to meet the advancing _Lancelot_. It swept across to the right of the Mech and fired a burst that hit the _Lancelot_ 's knee joint. Sparks flew out of the joint and the leg stiffened awkwardly. The mighty Mech stumbled but did not fall, continuing its relentless advance.

The Dalek passed by again, to the left this time, firing again at the vulnerable knees of the Mech. This time the left knee shot sparks and the _Lancelot_ did fall. A horrendous crash shook the ground as the sixty ton machine smashed down face first.

The _Red Wolf_ limped over to stand beside Ulric, towering over the Wolf Khan. Vlad's machine remained motionless as the Lancelot lifted itself onto its left side, sending out sparks from the ferrocrete ground as it spun to face them.

Ulric smile to the prone machine as if it were a small child that had just learned an important lesson. "Never underestimate the bond of a Wolf Clansman to his Khan. Clan Wolf will serve the Daleks well."

From the machine beside him Vlads voice issued forth. "I am sorry, my Khan."

Confusion passed through Ulrics mind a second before the giant fist of the _Red Wolf_ slammed into him, shattering bones and nearly tearing his body in two. Ulric's lifeless body was thrown five meters to land just before the _Lancelot_.

A pale blue haze began to seep from Ulrics broken body. It grew and began to form a shape above the Khan; it was a huge wolf, it's eyes glowing red.

"Now Justin!" yelled the Doctor urgently.

The Particle Induction Cannon in the L _ancelot_ 's right torso fired blue lightning which reached out and grasped the raw energy of Fenric in its embrace. The miasmic wolf glowed briefly, dimmed, glowed again then with a sudden and deafening roar was gone.

The Doctors voice was calmer now. "Shut it down, Justin. It's safe now."

 _ **The Great Repository  
Unity City  
North America  
Terra  
6th April, 3052**_

With the power of Fenric gone the remaining Daleks were quickly overcome. A small group of people, both Clan and ComStar had gathered in the shadow of the Great Repository after an uneasy truce had been called. The remainder had moved apart and taken up positions where they could keep a wary eye on each other.

Four people stood slightly apart from the rest while a group of technicians worked to open up the _Lancelot_ and extract the fusion engine from its bay within the Mechs belly.

Marthe Pryde eyed Vlad warily and cast Justin the occasional look of utter disdain. She didn't even look at the Doctor. "The Jade Falcons will hold Trials for the positions of Khan and saKhan immediately. Then we will look to resolve our grievance with the Wolves who attacked us."

Vlad nodded solemnly. "I regret that you were not able to face me in combat, Star Colonel Pryde, but I had to try to save my Khan before the aliens destroyed him."

Marthe grimaced but could not begrudge Vlad his sense of honour. "You are to be commended for your actions in service to your Clan, Vlad Ward, and I am sure that I will have another opportunity to face you soon."  
With a smile that was neither kind nor malicious Marthe Pryde walked away to rejoin her Falcon Clansmen. That left Vlad, Justin and the Doctor alone.

"So, what do we do now?" Justin asked Vlad.

"Clan Wolf will grant you hegira, Justin Allard. You may withdraw all of your ComStar and Federated Suns forces with any equipment that belongs to you. I have no doubt, though, that this is not the last time Terra will fall under Inner Sphere predations.."

"And the Repository?" Justin enquired.

"Is not your concern." Vlad sighed then and his voice softened a little. "Neg, it is everyone's concern. The Great Repository will be torn down and all of the equipment within shall be destroyed. The genetic samples contained inside will undergo rigorous testing to ensure that they have not been tampered with. All trace of the Daleks will be removed from this world." A pained look crossed Vlad's face but knew he had to say it. "All Kerensky samples will be destroyed to eliminate Fenric's taint."

The Doctor clapped Vlad on the back. "Good man, Vlad Ward. I sense hope for your future yet, for all your futures."

Vlad turn his gaze on the Doctor. "You have done us a service in helping us to defeat Fenric, Doctor, but we will not forget that, were it not for you, Fenric would not have been here to begin with. As soon as _Fenric's Flask_ is loaded aboard your blue box you will leave and not return."

The Doctor stepped back and was suddenly uncomfortable. "Yes, yes of course. I am terribly sorry about all this you know but… yes,. Of course."

It took two more hours for Fenric's Flask to be removed from the _Lancelot_ then it was quickly carried on board the TARDIS. The faces of the techs as they came back out were pale and unbelieving.

"Well, goodbye Vlad. Goodbye, Justin." The Doctor lingered for a second as if trying to think of something else to say then spun on his heels and walked into the TARDIS closing the door behind him.

A terrible wheezing, groaning sound emanated from the blue box and grew in volume as the light on the TARDIS' roof flashed. Reality strained and the air around the time machine distorted as forces beyond comprehension tore a hole in the universe. The TARDIS slowly faded away then disappeared.

Justin and Vlad stood still looking in amazement at the spot where the Doctors time machine stood just a few minutes ago.

Justin broke the silence. "You'll have to excuse me, Star Colonel. I have a motel owner's inheritance to arrange."

 _ **Epilogue  
Lootera  
Huntress  
Clan Homeworlds  
19th March, 3052**_

Smoke drifted lazily across the battlefield, shrouding the carcasses of savaged Mechs that lay on the churned ground. Within the smoke dark shapes moved. They were much smaller than a Mech, closer to the height of a man.

One of the shapes drew closer and a single point of light was visible through the smoke haze. The red Dalek glided onwards and around a corner where another Dalek stood motionless, this one was black. The domed head on the black Dalek spun at the red's approach.

"Report."

"Lootera is now under Dalek control. All Smoke Jaguar resistance has been eliminated. Three hundred Dalek units are moving out to other settlements on the planet. The revival of the Dalek Empire is underway."

The black Dalek swivelled its eyestalk back around as if planning its next move. "Very good " it said, "Operation Revival will continue at full pace."


End file.
